Zero Calorie Diet

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ALYSIA DELLASERRA Last Updated: Jul 18, 2017

Alysia Dellaserra

Alysia Dellaserra started writing professionally in 2010. Dellaserra writes mainly for about issues surrounding health and sports. Her work has appeared in various online publications. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Davis.

Realistically there is no such thing as a zero calorie food. All foods contain calories, but certain foods are deemed "negative calorie foods," meaning that while they do contain calories when ingested, an individual uses more calories to digest these foods than the food actually contains.

Nutritional Balance

Water can be noted as the only true form of zero calorie nourishment that occurs naturally and is a healthy part of any diet, although diet soda can also come in zero-calorie versions. When is comes to consuming fruits and vegetables with a negative calorie diet effect, weightlossforall.com says that this negative energy balance is a biological necessity in order to lose weight, and negative calorie foods can lead to quick, easy weight loss. These particular food choices are healthy and provide nutrition a body needs.

Food Options

Fruits and vegetables are the two types of food that serve as potentional zero calorie options. Fatfreekitchen.com mentions fruits such as apples, blueberries, strawberries, pineapples, and tomatoes as fruits that when digested end up with a zero calorie effect. Weightlossforall.com says that more common negative calorie vegetables include vegetables include broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, and carrots. These foods can make a good choice for a healthy snack, but they can also be part of a more filling, balanced meal, like putting chunks of strawberries in a cereal or adding broccoli and tomatoes to a salad.

Controversy

Donald Hensrud, M.D., believes foods that are touted as negative calorie foods can aid in losing weight as part of an overall healthy diet plan, but don't always lead to weight loss or sustained weight loss. He mentions, "It's theoretically possible to have a negative calorie food, but there are no reputable scientific studies to prove that certain foods are negative calorie or that they aid in weight loss." Thedietchannel.com adds that any success that a person would have while following the negative calorie diet would be due to drastically reduced calorie intake, which might be too extreme on an individual's body.

Zero Calorie Diet Versions

There are multiple versions of the negative calorie diet, and no one version is better than the next. All the diet involves is eating foods that take a long time to be broken down. A negative calorie diet is about finding what works best for you. Thedietchannel.com says the amount of fruits and vegetables recommended by the U.S. National Institute of Health is five servings a day for women and nine for men. Like all foods, potential zero calorie foods should be chewed slowly so an individual can get full faster, and individuals should focus just on eating while eating, and not additional tasks such as watching TV, since this may cause you to eat more than needed.

Misconceptions

Everydiet.org mentions that a diet consisting solely of foods that lead to zero calories after digestion can get monotonous and weight loss comes only from consuming foods that are low in calories. A typical healthy diet involves at least 1,200 calories. Thedietchannel.com says a diet consisting only of fruits and vegetables is not healthy over an extended period of time, as it does not include enough protein, minerals, or essential fats. Too much fruit and vegetables can also push out a person's stomach and make them feel uncomfortably full. Donald Hensrud, M.D.says the key to successful weight loss is adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and regular exercise. Consulting a doctor before beginning a new diet is always advised.